U.S. patent application number 14/462097 was filed with the patent office on 2016-02-18 for platform for providing medical care recommendations.
The applicant listed for this patent is Warren Husband, Tarun Jolly, Todd McCoy, Sanjeev Rajan, John Spivey. Invention is credited to Warren Husband, Tarun Jolly, Todd McCoy, Sanjeev Rajan, John Spivey.
Application Number | 20160048652 14/462097 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55302367 |
Filed Date | 2016-02-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160048652 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Spivey; John ; et
al. |
February 18, 2016 |
PLATFORM FOR PROVIDING MEDICAL CARE RECOMMENDATIONS
Abstract
The disclosed technology includes systems, methods, apparatuses,
and computer-readable mediums for facilitating electronic analysis
of medication related data and providing detailed analysis in a
comprehensible format for access by ordinary, non-expert
individuals ("the disclosed technology"). Briefly described, the
disclosed technology includes processing and aggregating, from
different data sources, laboratory data (e.g., DNA test results),
medication data (e.g., list of medications), and/or medical history
data, analyzing the different data to create medication pathway
mappings associated with a patient's medical profile, and
delivering, to the patient, real-time detailed analysis of adverse
drug interactions and/or adverse prescribed treatments based on the
medication pathway mappings.
Inventors: |
Spivey; John; (Brentwood,
TN) ; Jolly; Tarun; (New Orleans, LA) ;
Husband; Warren; (Jackson, MS) ; Rajan; Sanjeev;
(Redmond, WA) ; McCoy; Todd; (Baton Rouge,
LA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Spivey; John
Jolly; Tarun
Husband; Warren
Rajan; Sanjeev
McCoy; Todd |
Brentwood
New Orleans
Jackson
Redmond
Baton Rouge |
TN
LA
MS
WA
LA |
US
US
US
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
55302367 |
Appl. No.: |
14/462097 |
Filed: |
August 18, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G16H 70/40 20180101;
G16H 15/00 20180101; G06F 19/3418 20130101; G16H 20/10 20180101;
G16H 40/67 20180101; G06F 19/326 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 19/00 20060101
G06F019/00 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: obtaining, at a medication analysis
platform system, a first dataset from a first remote healthcare
system, the first dataset including a list of medications
associated with a given patient and DNA test results associated
with the given patient, the first remote healthcare system
associated with a first healthcare provider administering
healthcare to the given patient; identifying, by the medication
analysis platform system, a DNA profile associated with the given
patient based on the DNA test results; obtaining, by the medication
analysis platform system, medication-interaction information from a
medication-interaction database, wherein the medication-interaction
information includes multiple medication pathway mappings based on
genotype-phenotype combinations; and generating, by the medication
analysis platform system, an analysis report for the list of
medications associated with the given patient by identifying a
match between the DNA profile of the given patient and a given
medication pathway mapping of the multiple medication pathway
mappings.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein each mapping of the multiple
medication pathway mappings stores an effect of a particular
medication in correspondence with a particular genotype-phenotype
combination.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the medication-interaction
information from the medication-interaction database is recorded
based on DNA test results associated with multiple patients under
medication.
4. The method of claim 1, the medication-interaction information
further includes multiple medication-to-medication interactions,
wherein each medication-to-medication interaction of the multiple
medication-to-medication interactions includes an effect between a
pair of medications interacting.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the analysis report includes at
least some of the multiple medication-to-medication interactions
that correspond to the list of medications associated with the
given patient.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the analysis report includes an
effect of each medication of the list of medications associated
with the given patient based on the multiple medication pathway
mappings.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the analysis report is generated
in a form comprising any of: a user interface associated with a
client device of the given patient; or a Portable Document Format
(PDF) document.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device of the given
patient includes any of a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, or a
desktop.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of medication is updated
with new medications input by the given patient through a client
device of the given patient.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:
responsive to said input of the new medications, updating the
analysis report for the list of medications associated with the
given patient.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the DNA profile identifies a
genotype-phenotype combination associated with the given patient,
wherein generating the analysis report further comprises:
analyzing, by the medication analysis platform system, the first
dataset to determine an effect of the list of medications on the
given patient; generating a particular set of medication pathway
mappings based on the analyzed effect of the list of medications on
the given patient, the generating including correlating the DNA
profile with the list of medications, wherein each mapping of the
particular set of medication pathway mappings stores the analyzed
effect of each medication of the list of medications in
correspondence with the genotype-phenotype combination associated
with the given patient; and updating the medication-interaction
information in the medication-interaction database with the
particular set of medication pathway mappings.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining, at the
medication analysis platform system, a second dataset including a
new list of medications associated with the given patient, the new
list of medications including one or more medications to be taken
by the given patient; generating a particular set of medication
pathway mappings by correlating the DNA test results with the
particular list of medications, wherein each mapping of the
particular set of medication pathway mappings stores an effect of
each medication of the particular list of medications in
correspondence with the particular genotype-phenotype combination
associated with the given patient; and updating the
medication-interaction information in the medication-interaction
database with the particular set of medication pathway
mappings.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the new list of medications is
obtained from the given patient via a user interface of a mobile
application associated with the medication analysis platform
system.
14. A system comprising: a processor; a medication analysis engine
coupled to the processor to: obtain a first dataset from a first
remote healthcare system, the first dataset including a list of
medications associated with a given patient and DNA test results
associated with the given patient, the first remote healthcare
system associated with a first healthcare provider administering
healthcare to the given patient; identify a DNA profile associated
with the given patient based on the DNA test results; obtain
medication-interaction information from a medication-interaction
database, wherein the medication-interaction information includes
multiple medication pathway mappings based on genotype-phenotype
combinations; and generate an analysis report for the list of
medications associated with the given patient by identifying a
match between the DNA profile of the given patient and a given
medication pathway mapping of the multiple medication pathway
mappings.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the medication analysis engine
is further configured to: obtain a second dataset including a new
list of medications associated with the given patient, the new list
of medications including one or more medications to be taken by the
given patient; generate a particular set of medication pathway
mappings by correlating the DNA test results with the particular
list of medications, wherein each mapping of the particular set of
medication pathway mappings stores an effect of each medication of
the particular list of medications in correspondence with the
particular genotype-phenotype combination associated with the given
patient; and update the medication-interaction information in the
medication-interaction database with the particular set of
medication pathway mappings.
16. The system of claim 14, wherein the analysis report includes an
effect of each medication of the list of medications associated
with the given patient based on the multiple medication pathway
mappings.
17. The system of claim 14, wherein the DNA profile identifies a
genotype-phenotype combination associated with the given patient,
and wherein to generate the analysis report further comprises:
analyze the first dataset to determine an effect of the list of
medications on the given patient; generate a particular set of
medication pathway mappings based on the analyzed effect of the
list of medications on the given patient, the generating including
correlating the DNA profile with the list of medications, wherein
each mapping of the particular set of medication pathway mappings
stores the analyzed effect of each medication of the list of
medications in correspondence with the genotype-phenotype
combination associated with the given patient; and update the
medication-interaction information in the medication-interaction
database with the particular set of medication pathway
mappings.
18. The system of claim 14, wherein the analysis report is
generated in a form comprising any of: a user interface associated
with a client device of the given patient; or a Portable Document
Format (PDF) document.
19. The system of claim 14, wherein the analysis report includes at
least some of the multiple medication-to-medication interactions
that correspond to the list of medications associated with the
given patient.
20. The system of claim 14, wherein the analysis report includes an
effect of each medication of the list of medications associated
with the given patient based on the multiple medication pathway
mappings.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention generally relates to a system and
method for managing patient healthcare information, and
specifically to providing real-time medication-interaction analysis
through a mobile application.
BACKGROUND
[0002] With the pervasiveness of computing devices and computer
networks (e.g., the Internet), the electronic availability of
healthcare related information has become increasingly abundant.
Healthcare related information includes, for example, medical
records, examination results, genetic profiles, drug interaction
research, etc. Such information can come from many different
sources, including, for example, physicians, hospitals, pharmacies,
researchers, and testing laboratories. However, these sources often
maintain different electronic database systems to manage their
respective data, rendering it difficult to access information
quickly and efficiently, and preventing important diagnoses,
preventions, and treatments for patients. Further, the more
complex, yet important data, such as complex DNA findings, are
often offered in a raw, unanalyzed form that only the most trained
specialists are able to understand, making it highly
incomprehensible to patients, and even physicians, attempting to
administer healthcare to the patients.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0003] The present embodiments are illustrated by way of example
and are not intended to be limited by the figures of the
accompanying drawings. In the drawings:
[0004] FIG. 1 illustrates a computer network environment within
which some embodiments can be implemented;
[0005] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram further explaining
certain components and functionalities thereof in a server, which
can be the server 130 of FIG. 1 in accordance with some
embodiments;
[0006] FIGS. 3A-3C respectively illustrate a user interface which
can be generated by the server of FIG. 1 for facilitating a login
to the medication analysis platform system in accordance with some
embodiments;
[0007] FIG. 4 illustrates a user interface which can be generated
by the server of FIG. 1 for accessing various features of the
medication analysis platform system in accordance with some
embodiments;
[0008] FIGS. 5A-5C respectively illustrate a user interface which
can be generated by the server of FIG. 1 for managing medications
within the medication analysis platform system in accordance with
some embodiments;
[0009] FIGS. 6A-6D respectively illustrate a user interface which
can be generated by the server of FIG. 1 for managing a patient's
healthcare results within the medication analysis platform system
in accordance with some embodiments;
[0010] FIGS. 7A-7C respectively illustrate a user interface which
can be generated by the server of FIG. 1 for sharing a patient's
healthcare results within the medication analysis platform system
in accordance with some embodiments;
[0011] FIGS. 8A-8B respectively illustrate a user interface which
can be generated by the server of FIG. 1 for changing a patient's
user settings within the medication analysis platform system in
accordance with some embodiments;
[0012] FIG. 9 respectively illustrate a user interface which can be
generated by the server of FIG. 1 for accessing support within the
medication analysis platform system in accordance with some
embodiments;
[0013] FIGS. 10A-10B respectively illustrate a user interface which
can be generated by the server of FIG. 1 for scheduling a medical
test within the medication analysis platform system in accordance
with some embodiments;
[0014] FIGS. 11A-11C respectively illustrate portion of an example
analysis report that includes detailed analysis for each medication
currently taken by a patient; and
[0015] FIGS. 12A-12F respectively illustrate portion of an example
analysis report that includes detailed analysis of the
medication-to-medication interactions for each medication.
[0016] FIG. 13 illustrates a flow diagram of an example process for
generating a detailed analysis of medication interaction for a
patient.
[0017] FIG. 14 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a
machine in the example form of a computer system within which a set
of instructions, for causing the machine to perform any one or more
of the methodologies discussed herein, can be executed.
[0018] The same reference numbers and any acronyms identify
elements or acts with the same or similar structure or
functionality throughout the drawings and specification for ease of
understanding and convenience.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] The disclosed technology includes systems, methods,
apparatuses, and computer-readable mediums for facilitating
electronic analysis of integrated healthcare related data and
providing the integrated data in a comprehensible format for access
by ordinary, non-expert individuals ("the disclosed technology").
Briefly described, the disclosed technology includes processing and
aggregating, from different data sources, pharmaceutical data
(e.g., medication pathways and interactions), DNA data (e.g.,
genetic information), medical history data, and laboratory data
(e.g., patient test results), analyzing the different data to
create medication pathway mappings associated with a patient's
medical profile, and delivering, to the patient, real-time analysis
of adverse drug interactions and/or adverse prescribed medications
based on the medication pathway mappings.
[0020] In certain embodiments, the disclosed technology involves
communication between an medication analysis platform system and a
mobile medication analysis application installed on a patient's
mobile device. The mobile medication analysis application enables
the patient to access her test results (e.g., laboratory results
and DNA testing results from a physician's visit) and detailed
analysis associated with the test results by using her mobile
device. The detailed analysis is generated by the medication
analysis platform system communicating with the mobile medication
analysis application. The patient is further able to input
additional medications she has taken in the past, is currently
taking in the present, or is planning on taking in the future
(e.g., medications prescribed by another physician unknown to the
system, medications taking independently by the patient,
medications of interest to the patient) into the mobile medication
analysis application. The mobile medication analysis application,
in turn, can update the detailed analysis in real-time based on the
inputted additional medications.
[0021] According to one embodiment, the medication analysis
platform system generates the detailed analysis based on a
comparison of the patient's medical profile with multiple other
patient profiles. In the embodiment, the medication analysis
platform system looks at a medication-interaction database for
medication-interaction information. The medication-interaction
information can be generated over time based on data from a wide
range of patients that currently take medications (e.g., patients
with different genotype/phenotype combinations). In generating the
information for the database, the system examines DNA test results
of the patient and analyzes each medication taken by the patient by
looking at the primary and secondary pathways of the medication in
relation to the patient's genotype and phenotype combination. The
system then stores that analysis for each medication as a
medication pathway mapping, so that medication pathway mapping can
be auto-loaded for all future patients with the same genotype and
phenotype combination. For example, if analysis of the DNA test
results of a patient indicates that the patient is on Plavix.RTM.
and is a poor metabolizer of that medication, the system stores
that analysis for examination of a next patient. In such example,
the system can auto-load the same notes (e.g., poor metabolizer of
Plavix.RTM. of X and Y genotype-phenotype combination) for the
medical profile and/or analysis report for that next patient.
[0022] Among other benefits, the auto-load feature based on the
medication pathway mappings can save time for the system to go
through the different medication interaction scenarios for each
patient that needs the detailed analysis. Further, the auto-load
feature enables reduction of error and provides a consistent set of
analyses across the board for all patients. For example, whenever a
new medication pathway mapping is created and commented on, the
system saves that pathway mapping and commenting for use with other
future patents. In some embodiments, the detailed analysis
associated with the individual medication pathway mappings can be
compiled into one report for access by the patient, e.g., a
generated PDF document.
[0023] Accordingly, the disclosed technology provides a way that is
easy for an ordinary individual, who is not necessarily an expert
in medication interactions and DNA analysis, to access information
critical in the administration and receiving of healthcare, thereby
improving accurate diagnoses, reducing time and healthcare costs,
and providing transparency and understanding. The ordinary
individual can be the patient herself, the physician administering
the healthcare, and/or friends and family members of the
patient.
[0024] Various examples of the disclosed technology will now be
described. The following description provides specific details for
a thorough understanding and enabling description of these
examples. One skilled in the relevant art will understand, however,
that the invention may be practiced without many of these details.
Likewise, one skilled in the relevant art will also understand that
the invention can include many other obvious features not described
in detail herein. Additionally, some well-known methods,
procedures, structures or functions may not be shown or described
in detail below, so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the
relevant description.
[0025] The terminology used below is to be interpreted in its
broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in
conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific
examples of the invention. Indeed, certain terms may even be
emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be
interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and
specifically defined as such in this Detailed Description
section.
[0026] As used herein, a "module," an "interface," a "platform," or
an "engine" includes a general purpose, dedicated or shared
processor and, typically, firmware or software modules that are
executed by the processor. Depending upon implementation-specific
or other considerations, the module, interface, platform, or engine
can be centralized or its functionality distributed. The module,
interface, platform, or engine can include general or special
purpose hardware, firmware, or software embodied in a
computer-readable (storage) medium for execution by the processor.
As used herein, a computer-readable medium or computer-readable
storage medium is intended to include all media that are statutory
(e.g., in the United States, under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.101), and to
specifically exclude all media that are non-statutory in nature to
the extent that the exclusion is necessary for a claim that
includes the computer-readable (storage) medium to be valid. Known
statutory computer-readable mediums include hardware (e.g.,
registers, random access memory (RAM), non-volatile (NV) storage,
to name a few), but may or may not be limited to hardware.
[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates a representative computer network
environment 100 within which some embodiments may be implemented.
The environment 100 includes a client device 110 (e.g., client
device 110A, 1108, and 110C), a network 120, a server 130, and a
remote healthcare server 140. The client device 110, the server
130, and the remote healthcare server 140 are coupled in
communication for data transmission over the network 120. For
example, the components may be connected via a twisted pair cabling
network, a coax cable network, a telephone network, or any suitable
type of connection network. In some embodiments, the network 120
may be wireless (e.g., which may include an IEEE 802.11 wireless
network, or a data traffic network based on wireless telephony
services such as 3G, 3.5G, 4G LTE and the like). The technologies
supporting the communications between the client 110 and server 130
may include Ethernet (e.g., as described in IEEE 802.3 family of
standards) and/or other suitable types of area network
technologies. Note that the components of FIG. 1 are just one
implementation of the computer network environment within which
present embodiments may be implemented, and the various alternative
embodiments are within the scope of the present embodiments. For
example, the network 120 may include intervening devices (e.g.,
switches, routers, hubs, etc.) in the network 120. In some
examples, the network 120 comprises the Internet.
[0028] The server 130 may be one or more server computers or work
stations that are employed by an organization for hosting a
platform that functions as a channel to client users for accessing
healthcare related information (e.g., medical history records,
laboratory test results, DNA test results, medication-interaction
information, etc.) and performing one or more tasks associated with
the administration of healthcare to patients (e.g., analyzing and
presenting detailed analysis relating to medication interactions).
The platform hosted by the server 130 may be executed in the form
of a medication analysis application 132 that can be accessible by
the client device 110. The medication analysis application 132 may
be a mobile application installed on a mobile device (e.g., client
device 1108) or a conventional software application installed on a
convention computing device, such as a personal computer (PC)
(e.g., client device 110A).
[0029] The server 130 typically includes at least one processor and
a memory, and may be further connected to one or more computers
(not shown in FIG. 1 for simplicity) that carry out the various
healthcare related functions via the network 120. The server 130 is
also typically equipped with or is coupled to one or more databases
(e.g., repository 205 of FIG. 200) for storing the various
healthcare related data (e.g., medical health records, DNA
findings, general medical information, analysis data, etc.) and/or
data for hosting the platform that facilitates the healthcare
related tasks. The one or more databases can include, for example,
one or more hard drives (which may be further coupled together
using RAID-0, 1, 5, 10, etc.), a centralized or distributed data
cluster, a cloud-storage service provider, or other suitable
storage systems suitable for storing digital data. The data
contained in these databases is highly confidential, and as such
the secure communication to access these databases includes at
least a 256 bit encryption and employs an SSL if using an Internet
based communication means.
[0030] The server 130 can include a communication interface (e.g.,
network interface 1312, FIG. 13) that enables secure communication
between the server 130 and a variety of authorized users. As used
here, the term "variety of authorized users" refers to one or more
healthcare systems (e.g., a physician's medical health records
computer system, a testing laboratory's medical health records
computer system, a research laboratory's records computer system,
etc.) and an identified recipient, such as, but not limited to, one
or more healthcare system employed physicians/providers, patients,
the CEO and the healthcare institution administration staff,
non-employed affiliated physicians/providers and other healthcare
professionals.
[0031] As used here, a "healthcare system" refers to any
institution that administers or facilitates healthcare-related
services including, for example, a test laboratory, a hospital, a
group of hospitals, a physician group practice, an HIE, an HMO, an
ACO, a Community Health Center, an insurance company, any
institution that is affiliated with a healthcare system, or any
other combination of the aforementioned institution(s). In some
embodiments, the healthcare system can employ one or more server
computers or work stations working in coordination to provide a
channel for mediate data with other servers (e.g., the server 130).
In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the healthcare system is
the remote healthcare server 140, although other configurations are
possible in other embodiments.
[0032] As used here, the term "physician/provider" refers to any
State or Federal licensed medical practitioner such as, but not
limited to, Medical Doctors (MD), Doctors of Osteopathy (DO),
Dentists (DDS & DMD), and practitioners of Complementary and
Alternative Medicine (CAM) such as, but not limited to, primary
care physicians and specialty physician/practitioners such as, but
not limited to, cardiologists, pulmonologists, nephrologists,
neurologists, endocrinologists, gastroenterologists,
dermatologists, general surgeons, ENT surgeons, cardio-thoracic
surgeons, vascular surgeons, ophthalmologists, obstetricians,
colorectal surgeons, dentists, oral surgeons, orthopedists,
neurosurgeons, podiatrists, psychiatrists, chiropractors,
acupuncturists and others, or any combination(s) thereof. The term
"physician/provider" may also, for instance, refer to medical
practitioners not having MD, DO, DDS, DMD or DPM licenses such as,
but not limited to, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists,
respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, physician
extenders, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and others,
healthcare professionals, or any combination(s) thereof.
[0033] The server 130 communicates with the variety of authorized
users to receive information from their respective computer
systems. The server 130 further provides for the delivery of
healthcare related information about a patient (e.g., medical
history, recent laboratory tests conducted, current list of
medications, etc.) along with detailed analysis information to the
variety of authorized users. By having a readily available platform
with information about the patient, the physicians, providers, the
patients themselves, and/or other identified recipient can have a
visual representation in real time of data, such as predicted
adverse reactions to medications, current adverse reactions to
medications (e.g., patient is a poor metabolizer of Plavix.RTM.),
patient's DNA findings (e.g., genotype/phenotype), patient's
scheduled visits to a healthcare facility, amongst many others.
This data can be accessible to help seek out, identify, and/or
rectify problem areas in administering healthcare to patients
(and/or self-administration of healthcare by the patients
themselves).
[0034] The client device 110, which may be used by a client user to
communicate with the server 130 in accessing the healthcare related
data access (e.g., through the medication analysis application
132), may include a laptop, a desktop, a tablet, a personal
computer, a personal digital assistant ("PDA"), a smart phone, and
the like. The client user can be any of the variety of authorized
users discussed above. The client device 110 typically includes a
display that can be used to display a user interface, and may
include suitable input devices (not shown for simplicity) such as a
keyboard, a mouse, or a touchpad. In some embodiments, the display
may be a touch-sensitive screen that includes input
functionalities.
[0035] Furthermore, although the server 130 is illustrated in FIG.
1 (as well as described throughout the present disclosure) as a
separate entity from the client device 110, it is noted that in
some specific embodiments, both the client device 110 and the
server 130 can be implemented in the same computing device such as
a smart phone or a tablet computer so that the standalone computing
device can be the sole host of the environment 110 and practice the
various techniques disclosed herein.
[0036] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram further explaining
certain components and functionalities thereof in a server 200,
which can be the server 130 of FIG. 1 in accordance with some
embodiments. The server 200 includes a device communications
interface 210, a medication analysis engine 220, and a remote
server communications interface 230. The example server 200
includes various modules and storage as described below.
[0037] The device communications interface 210 is configured
facilitate communications with a client device, such as the client
device 110 of FIG. 1. For example, the device communications
interface 210 can receive an access request initiated by the client
device (e.g., by a patient accessing a mobile medication analysis
application) that includes a request for medication analysis
information provided by the server 200. Additionally, the device
communications interface 210 can provide patients with an ability
to submit additional information to improve the medication analysis
generated by the server 200. The additional information can include
any medication not already captured by the server 200. The server
200 also allows the patient to share the medication analysis and/or
any other healthcare related information provided by the server 200
with other friends, family members, and/or physicians (e.g.,
provide access to other client devices accessible to these
individuals).
[0038] The medication analysis engine 220 is configured to process
DNA test results of a patient to provide detailed analysis for the
medications taken by the patient and/or planned to be taken. The
medication analysis engine 220 can access a patient's DNA test
results to analyze her reaction to one or more medications being
currently taken and/or will be taken. Further, the medication
analysis engine 220 can determine medication-to-medication
interaction(s) between medications currently taken by a
patient.
[0039] The server 200 can store the detailed analysis information
in a repository 205. The detailed analysis information can include
a variety of information about patients including for example,
healthcare related information, such as their list of medications,
medication pathway mappings, and effects on the patients,
configuration information for operating the medication analysis
application, such as authorized users (e.g., shared family
members), user profile information, such as patient contact
information, email addresses, passwords, and the like. The
repository 205 can include one or more databases which include, for
example, one or more hard drives (which may be further coupled
together using RAID-0, 1, 5, 10, etc.), a centralized or
distributed data cluster, a cloud-storage service provider, or
other suitable storage systems suitable for storing digital data.
The data contained in these databases is highly confidential, and
as such the secure communication to access these databases includes
at least a 256 bit encryption and employs an SSL if using an
Internet based communication means.
[0040] FIGS. 3A-10B respectively illustrate various user interfaces
that can be generated by the server 130 of FIG. 1 for facilitating
a mobile medication analysis application installed on a patient's
mobile device, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed
technology. For ease of discussion in the FIGS. 3-10, consider the
following example scenario of a user "Patient Annie" accessing the
mobile medication analysis application installed on her mobile
device (e.g., client device 110B), where the mobile medication
analysis application is the medication analysis platform system
executed under instructions from the server 130.
[0041] FIGS. 3A-3C respectively illustrate the user interface for
facilitating a login to the medication analysis platform system in
accordance with some embodiments. In one embodiment, Patient Annie
can log into the system using her personal email address (e.g.,
anniepatient@renrx.com) if she has already signed up for an
account, as illustrated in FIG. 3A. If Patient Annie does not have
an account, she may register for one using a registration key, as
illustrated in FIG. 3B. In one example, after Patient Annie gets a
DNA test, e.g., from a DNA test laboratory, the laboratory mails
the results, along with a registration card, to Patient Annie. The
"mail" can be in paper form (e.g., postal mail) or electronic form
(e.g., e-mail). The registration card includes a link for how to
download a mobile medication analysis application, e.g., an
iPhone.RTM. app from the App Store.RTM., as well as a registration
key. When Patient Annie first goes to use the medication analysis
application, she can input the registration key, which allows the
medication analysis application to look up Patient Annie's test
results and pre-populate Patient Annie's user information. After
such pre-population, Patient Annie will only have to fill out any
user information that has not been submitted to the DNA laboratory
(e.g., email address, password, etc). If Patient Annie does not
have a registration key, she may register by simply inputting her
information, as illustrated in FIG. 3C.
[0042] FIG. 4 illustrates the user interface that can be generated
by the server of FIG. 1 for accessing various features of the
medication analysis platform system in accordance with some
embodiments. As shown in FIG. 4, Patient Annie can view her current
list of medications, detailed analysis associated with those
medications, share the detailed analysis, and/or schedule a medical
test (e.g., in response to after viewing the detailed analysis). In
some embodiments, Patient Annie can also change her user settings
and ask for help/support within the application. Each of the
features of the medication analysis platform system will be
explained in further detail with respect to FIGS. 5A-11 below.
[0043] FIGS. 5A-5C respectively illustrate the user interface that
can be generated by the server of FIG. 1 for managing medications
within the medication analysis platform system in accordance with
some embodiments. Patient Annie can click on the "My Medications"
icon from the main "Menu" user interface illustrated in FIG. 4 to
view her current list of medications illustrated in FIG. 5A. In
some embodiments, Patient Annie can also view a list of past
medications by clicking on "My Medications."
[0044] As illustrated in FIG. 5A, upon clicking on "My
Medications," Patient Annie can view each medication (e.g.,
Pantoprazole) with its associated effect (e.g., Rapid Metabolizer)
generated based on Patient Annie's genotype. Patient Annie can view
the details about each medication. Some medications may not already
have the detailed analysis, as illustrated in FIG. 5B. This may be
because, for example, Patient Annie may not have gone through a DNA
testing. In such example, Patient Annie, upon seeing this
information, may choose to schedule a test using the user
interfaces illustrated in FIGS. 10A-10B. While viewing the list of
current and past medications, Patient Annie can add additional
medications, as illustrated in FIG. 5C.
[0045] In some embodiments, the server 130 generates a medication
adverse interaction alert in response to a new medication added by
Patient Annie. This alert can be in the form of a push
notification, an icon badge, a banner, etc. The alert informs
Patient Annie that the new medication will likely have an adverse
effect on her. For example, the new medication, if taken with an
existing medication, will likely have X result. In such example,
the server 130 can also display to Patient Annie which existing
medications have an adverse interaction with the new medication. In
another example, the new medication will likely have Y result
(regardless of existing medications) based on Patient Annie's
DNA.
[0046] FIGS. 6A-6D respectively illustrate a user interface which
can be generated by the server of FIG. 1 for managing a patient's
healthcare results within the medication analysis platform system
in accordance with some embodiments. Patient Annie can click on the
"Virtual PharmD" icon from the main "Menu" user interface
illustrated in FIG. 4 to access detailed analysis associated with
her health.
[0047] FIG. 6A illustrates "Lab Results" that are generated based
on Patient Annie's DNA. As used here, the term "Lab Results" refer
to the overall results of the individual pathways for a patient
(e.g., pathway CYP450-2D6 is metabolized in X manner for the
patient).
[0048] Examples of the genotype and phenotype combinations and
pathways are listed below in Table 1.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 CYP450-2C19 Intermediate Metabolizer
CYP450-2C19 Normal Metabolizer CYP450-2C19 Normal-Intermediate
Metabolizer CYP450-2C19 Poor Metabolizer CYP450-2C19 Rapid
Metabolizer CYP450-2C19 Ultra-Rapid Metabolizer CYP450-2C9
Intermediate Metabolizer CYP450-2C9 Normal Metabolizer CYP450-2C9
Poor Metabolizer CYP450-2D6 Intermediate Metabolizer CYP450-2D6
Normal Metabolizer CYP450-2D6 Poor Metabolizer CYP450-2D6 Poor
Metabolizer CYP450-2D6 Ultra-Rapid Metabolizer CYP450-3A4
Intermediate Metabolizer CYP450-3A4 Normal Metabolizer CYP450-3A4
Poor Metabolizer CYP450-3A5 Intermediate Metabolizer CYP450-3A5
Normal Metabolizer CYP450-3A5 Poor Metabolizer Factor II
(prothrombin) Intermediate Thrombosis Risk Factor II (prothrombin)
Normal Thrombosis Risk Factor V Leiden Intermediate Thrombosis Risk
Factor V Leiden Normal Thrombosis Risk MTHFR High Risk MTHFR High
Risk MTHFR High Risk - Rare MTHFR Low Risk MTHFR Low Risk OPRM1
Moderate OPRM1 Normal OPRM1 Poor VKORC1 High Warfarin Sensitivity
VKORC1 Intermediate Warfarin Sensitivity VKORC1 Low Warfarin
Sensitivity
[0049] FIG. 6B illustrates "PharmD Results" to show the results of
Patient Annie's DNA test illustrating the list of all the pathways
Patient Annie is affected by and how they affect Patient Annie. In
the embodiment of FIG. 6B, these "PharmD Results" are illustrated
under the "Lab" tab of the mobile medication analysis application,
although alternative configurations are available in other
embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the title "PharmD
Results" of FIG. 6B can be called "DNA Results" or "Test
Results."
[0050] FIG. 6C illustrates "Medication Results" that are displayed
to show Patient Annie a user manageable list of any and all
medications she may be taking. Consider one scenario in which
Patient Annie visits an office of a physician, and the physician
wants to prescribe Patient Annie a new medication. Consider another
scenario in which Patient Annie visits a pharmacy to pick up a new
over-the-counter medication. In either of the scenarios, Patient
Annie can launch the medication analysis application on her device,
e.g., a smartphone, add the particular medication and dosage she
is/will be taking. Once that medication is submitted, the
medication analysis application generates detailed analysis for
that medication, and Patient Annie will be able to see, in
real-time, how she metabolizes that medication based on her past
DNA test(s). For example, Patient Annie purchases Zyrtec at a
pharmacy (which Patient Annie was not taking at the time of her DNA
testing). In such example, Patient Annie can add Zyrtec into the
medication analysis application, and based on the DNA test she
already took, she can see how Zyrtec will affect her.
[0051] FIG. 6D illustrates "PharmD Results" to show a list of the
medications Patient Annie is currently taking (at the time of the
DNA test), the pathways the medications are affected by, and how
Patient Annie will metabolize each medication based on that
pathway. For example, Patient Annie is taking Xanax, which is
affected by pathway CYP450-3A4, and Patient Annie is a normal
metabolizer of that pathway. As such, Patient Annie is shown as a
normal metabolizer of Xanax.
[0052] Note that the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 6B shows all
the pathways Patient Annie is affected by, and that the illustrated
embodiment of FIG. 6D, in contrast, shows the pathways specific to
Patient Annie's current list of medications at the time of the DNA
test. The "PharmD Results" of FIGS. 6B and 6D can be configured in
alternative embodiments other than those illustrated respectfully
in those figures. For example, the title "PharmD Results" of FIG.
6B can be called "DNA Results" or "Test Results" under the "Lab"
tab, and the "PharmD Results" of FIG. 6D can remain the same and
the tab "Medications," in such scenario of FIG. 6D, can be changed
to "PharmD."
[0053] FIGS. 7A-7C respectively illustrate a user interface which
can be generated by the server of FIG. 1 for sharing a patient's
healthcare results within the medication analysis platform system
in accordance with some embodiments. Patient Annie can click on the
"Sharing" icon from the main "Menu" user interface illustrated in
FIG. 4 to start sharing her healthcare related information, e.g.,
with friends, family members, and/or physicians. As illustrated in
FIG. 7A, Patient Annie can view the individuals with whom she is
sharing her healthcare related information, such as her DNA test
results, lab results, list of medications, and/or detailed analysis
associated with those items.
[0054] Patient Annie can add a physician, e.g., the primary
physician, to share the data associated with a visit to a
specialist physician, by using the user interface illustrated in
FIG. 7B. According to one embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7B,
Patient Annie can share her DNA tests, her medications, and/or all
data on the entire application (i.e., the medication analysis
platform system). Similarly, Patient Annie can add a family member
or friend to share her DNA tests, medications, and/or all data on
the entire application, as illustrated in FIG. 7C.
[0055] Patient Annie, for example, can take advantage of the
"Sharing" feature of the application by inputting all of her
different physicians. In response, the application can send out
reports to all of those physicians so they have the same healthcare
information about Patient Annie. In a future event, for example, a
Physician X, who is listed as Patient Annie's physician, would
immediately get Patient Annie's test results right after the test
is conducted at a Physician Y's office, thereby allowing both
doctors to know about Patient Annie's medical condition(s).
[0056] FIGS. 8A-8B respectively illustrate a user interface which
can be generated by the server of FIG. 1 for changing a patient's
user settings within the medication analysis platform system in
accordance with some embodiments.
[0057] FIG. 9 respectively illustrate a user interface which can be
generated by the server of FIG. 1 for accessing support within the
medication analysis platform system in accordance with some
embodiments.
[0058] FIGS. 10A-10B respectively illustrate a user interface which
can be generated by the server of FIG. 1 for scheduling a medical
test within the medication analysis platform system in accordance
with some embodiments. Patient Annie can search for nearby medical
facilities and/or medical facilities at a particular location, as
illustrated in FIG. 10A. Further, Patient Annie can view details of
each medical facility.
[0059] FIGS. 11A-11C respectively illustrate portion of an example
analysis report that includes detailed analysis for each medication
currently taken by Patient Annie. The detailed analysis includes,
for each medication, the pathways and associated effect.
[0060] FIGS. 12A-12F respectively illustrate portion of an example
analysis report that includes detailed analysis of the
medication-to-medication interactions for each medication.
[0061] In some embodiments, the analysis report in the embodiments
of FIGS. 11A-11C and 12A-12F is in an electronic format that can be
displayed, for example, on a user interface associated with a
client device of a user (e.g., patient, patient's physician,
patient's family member, patient's friend, or any other authorized
users). In some embodiments, the analysis report is in a Portable
Document Format (e.g., a PDF document).
[0062] FIG. 13 illustrates a process 1300 for generating a detailed
analysis of medication interaction for a patient. In some
embodiments, the process 1300 can be executed by the server 130 of
FIG. 1. In such embodiments, the server 130 can communicate with
the medication analysis application 132 to deliver the detailed
analysis to the patient at the client device 110.
[0063] The process 1300 starts at block 1302 where the server 130
obtains a variety of information associated with the patient's
health. In one embodiment, the server 130 obtains, from a remote
healthcare system, laboratory test results ("lab results")
associated with a patient. The lab results can be obtained, or
collected, when a patient visits a DNA test laboratory (e.g., a
laboratory that utilizes the remote healthcare system to store
patient data) to obtain information about the patient's DNA make-up
(i.e., DNA profile). In one example, such "DNA test" tests a
patient's DNA to provide information on how the patient is affected
by the different pathways. When a patient initially goes in to get
the DNA test, the patient will provide a list of medications she is
taking. As will be discussed below, that is list of medications is
the initial list that that patient will obtain analysis details
(e.g., as provided by the medication analysis engine 220).
[0064] In a conventional process, the patient typically has to make
a special request to obtain the data, and even so, the data comes
in a raw, complex format that only the most trained specialist
(e.g., DNA researchers, pharmacists, laboratory professionals,
etc.) would be able to comprehend. In contrast, the disclosed
technology enables the patient to access the DNA test results at
any time through any device belonging, or accessible, to the
patient, such as her mobile phone, where the DNA test results are
translated into a comprehensible format (e.g., plain English
terminology). Accordingly, the patient, and any party of interest
without a specialized DNA background, are able to understand better
critical information about the patient to administer
healthcare.
[0065] In accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 2, the server 130
communicates with a computer system associated with the DNA
laboratory (e.g., healthcare server 140) to collect the patient's
lab results, or DNA test results. The server 130 can obtain the lab
results by having the patient, for example, submit a registration
key (e.g., FIG. 3B). The registration key can be a key that allows
the server 130 to communicate with the healthcare server that is
employed by the DNA laboratory (e.g., healthcare server 140), and
identifies to the healthcare server which patient's DNA test
results the server 130 wants to obtain data. Alternatively, the
server 130 can obtain the data by requesting the patient herself to
submit information, which can then be relayed to the healthcare
server to identify the patient and obtain the DNA test results
(e.g., FIG. 3C). For example, the patient, in addition to the
physician's visit, also visits another lab to provide DNA samples
in order to obtain results of the make-up of her genetics. The DNA
test results are stored computer system of that physician, e.g., in
a DNA patient database, where that computer system (e.g., server
140) is also in communication with the server 130. The server 130
accesses the patient's DNA test results in order to analyze the
patient's reaction to one or more medications she is currently
taking, as will be discussed further below.
[0066] In some embodiments, the server 130 can obtain medical
profile of the patient , e.g., from a second remote healthcare
server and/or the same server from which it has obtained the DNA
test results. The medical profile can include DNA profile, medical
history, a list of medications being taken, or that have been
taken, by the patient. The medical profile can be obtained, or
collected, from the physician's office, or from a plurality of
other sources associated with the patient with which the server 130
communicates (e.g., hospitals, other physician offices, pharmacies,
and/or the like).
[0067] At block 1304, the server 130 obtains medication-interaction
information for a plurality of medications. In some embodiments,
the medication-interaction information includes one or more
medication-interaction mappings for one or more medications. Each
mapping maps an effect of a particular medication to a particular
genotype/phenotype combination; that is, a particular
medication-interaction mapping stores the effect a particular
medication has on a particular genotype-phenotype combination. In
some embodiments, the medication-interaction information includes
predetermined medication-to-medication interactions between pairs
of medications (i.e., "drugs").
[0068] In some embodiments, the medication interaction information
can be obtained from a medication-interaction database that stores
predetermined medication-interaction information. By looking at the
predetermined medication-interaction information, the server 130 is
provided with the knowledge of how a medication is affected by the
different pathways and for particular DNA profiles (e.g.,
genotype/phenotype combinations). The server 130 can look up the
information in the database and compare that information to the
patient's DNA profile and/or DNA test results in order to
determine, almost instantaneously, how a new medication might
affect the patient.
[0069] In some embodiments, the medication interaction information
is generated by the server 130. In such embodiments, the server
130, over time, analyzes data from a wide range of patients that
are under medication (e.g., patients with different
genotype/phenotype combinations taking a variety of medications).
The medication-interaction information can include medication
pathway mappings and/or medication-to-medication interactions. As
used here, a "medication pathway" is a pathway through which a
medication gets processed by a particular type of person. Knowledge
of a medication's multiple pathways can enable further analysis of
how the pathways affect different genotype. For example, knowing a
particular medication is processed through a particular pathway
based on a particular genotype can help determine, or predict, that
the medication will likely affect similarly a particular patient
who shares the same genotype. An example user interface presenting
an example pathway and its effect as mapped to a genotype is shown
in FIG. 6A.
[0070] According to some embodiments, to generate the medication
pathway mappings, the server 130 analyzes, or examines, the primary
and secondary pathways of each medication in correlation to the
patient's genotype and phenotype combination. This can be done, for
example, when the server 130 receives the DNA test results at step
1302. The server 130 uploads this information to the patient's
application profile to be displayed, for example, on the medication
analysis application 132 installed on the patient's client device
110. The server 130 further can store the analysis of the
medication as a medication pathway mapping, so that medication
pathway mapping can be auto-loaded for all future patients with the
same genotype and phenotype combination (e.g., for the detailed
analysis of the patient in block 208). For example, if analysis of
the DNA test results of a patient indicates that the patient is on
Plavix.RTM. and is a poor metabolizer of that medication, the
system stores that analysis for examination of a next patient. In
such example, the system can auto-load the same notes (e.g., poor
metabolizer of Plavix.RTM. of X and Y genotype-phenotype
combination) for the medical profile and/or analysis report for
that next patient.
[0071] Additionally, in some embodiments, the server 130 analyzes a
medication's interaction with another medication (e.g., different
pairs medications of the list of medications being taken by the
patient), and the effect associated with that interaction. The
medication-to-medication interaction is also stored in a database
of the server 130 for future uses (e.g., to create additional
detailed analysis for the patient).
[0072] At block 1306, the server 130 generates a detailed analysis
associated with the patient based on the information obtained from
blocks 1302 and 1304. According to some embodiments, the medication
analysis platform system generates the detailed analysis based on a
comparison of the patient's medical profile with multiple other
patient profiles that have been analyzed for the
medication-interaction information. In particular, the server 130
determines the current list of medications taken by the patient and
the genotype/phenotype combination of the patient based on the
patient's medical profile. The server 130 identifies a match
between the medical profile of the given patient and a given
medication pathway mapping of the multiple medication pathway
mappings. This can be done for each medication of the list of
medications currently taken by the patient. The server 130
generates the detailed analysis of the medication's effect on the
patient by using the medication pathway mappings generated and/or
obtained in block 1304.
[0073] At block 1308, the server 130 determines whether the patient
has submitted a new medication to add to the current list of
medications. If there is a new medication, the server 130 proceeds
back to block 1306 to update the medical profile and to update the
detailed analysis generated for the patient. If there is no new
medication, the process 1300 returns.
[0074] FIG. 14 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine
1400 in the example form of a computer system within which a set of
instructions, for causing the machine to perform any one or more of
the methodologies discussed herein, can be executed. In alternative
embodiments, the machine 1400 operates as a standalone device or
can be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a
networked deployment, the machine can operate in the capacity of a
server or a client machine in a client-server network environment,
or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network
environment.
[0075] The machine 1400 can be a server computer, a client
computer, a personal computer (PC), a mobile electronic user
device, a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a set-top box (STB), a
personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone or a smart
phone (e.g., an iPhone or an Android phone), a web-enabled
household appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, a
(hand-held) gaming device, a music player, or any machine capable
of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that
specify actions to be taken by that machine.
[0076] The computing system 1400 may include one or more central
processing units ("processors") 1402, main memory 1404,
non-volatile memory 1406 (e.g., flash memory, hard disks, floppy
disks, etc.), one or more input/output devices 1408 (e.g., keyboard
input devices, pointing devices, video display devices, etc.), and
one or more network interface devices 1412 for communication over a
network 1414, all of which are connected to an interconnect 1410.
The interconnect 1410 is illustrated as an abstraction that
represents any one or more separate physical buses, point to point
connections, or both connected by appropriate bridges, adapters, or
controllers. The interconnect 1410, therefore, may include, for
example, a system bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
bus or PCI-Express bus, a HyperTransport or industry standard
architecture (ISA) bus, a small computer system interface (SCSI)
bus, a universal serial bus (USB), IIC (I2C) bus, or an Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard 1394 bus,
also called "Firewire."
[0077] The memory 1404 and non-volatile memory 1406 are
computer-readable storage media that may store instructions that
implement at least portions of the described technology. The
instructions stored in memory 1404 can be implemented as software
and/or firmware to program the processor(s) 1402 to carry out
actions described above. In some embodiments, such software or
firmware may be initially provided to the processing system 1400 by
downloading it from a remote system through the computing system
1400 (e.g., via network interface 1412).
[0078] While the machine-readable medium or machine-readable
storage medium is shown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single
medium, the term "machine-readable medium" and "machine-readable
storage medium" should be taken to include a single medium or
multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or
associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of
instructions. The term "machine-readable medium" and
"machine-readable storage medium" shall also be taken to include
any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set
of instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the
machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the
presently disclosed technique and innovation.
[0079] In general, the routines executed to implement the
embodiments of the disclosure, can be implemented as part of an
operating system or a specific application, component, program,
object, module or sequence of instructions referred to as "computer
programs." The computer programs typically comprise one or more
instructions set at various times in various memory and storage
devices in a computer, and that, when read and executed by one or
more processing units or processors in a computer, cause the
computer to perform operations to execute elements involving the
various aspects of the disclosure.
[0080] Moreover, while embodiments have been described in the
context of fully functioning computers and computer systems, those
skilled in the art will appreciate that the various embodiments are
capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of
forms, and that the disclosure applies equally regardless of the
particular type of machine or computer-readable media used to
actually effect the distribution.
[0081] Further examples of machine-readable storage media,
machine-readable media, or computer-readable (storage) media
include, but are not limited to, recordable type media such as
volatile and non-volatile memory devices, floppy and other
removable disks, hard disk drives, optical disks (e.g., Compact
Disk Read-Only Memory (CD ROMS), Digital Versatile Disks, (DVDs),
etc.), among others, and transmission type media such as digital
and analog communication links.
[0082] The network interface device 1412 enables the machine to
mediate data in a network with an entity that is external to the
host server, through any known and/or convenient communications
protocol supported by the host and the external entity. The network
interface device 1412 can include one or more of a network adaptor
card, a wireless network interface card, a router, an access point,
a wireless router, a switch, a multilayer switch, a protocol
converter, a gateway, a bridge, bridge router, a hub, a digital
media receiver, and/or a repeater.
[0083] The network interface device 1412 can include a firewall
which can, in some embodiments, govern and/or manage permission to
access/proxy data in a computer network, and track varying levels
of trust between different machines and/or applications. The
firewall can be any number of modules having any combination of
hardware and/or software components able to enforce a predetermined
set of access rights between a particular set of machines and
applications, machines and machines, and/or applications and
applications, for example, to regulate the flow of traffic and
resource sharing between these varying entities. The firewall can
additionally manage and/or have access to an access control list
which details permissions including for example, the access and
operation rights of an object by an individual, a machine, and/or
an application, and the circumstances under which the permission
rights stand.
[0084] Other network security functions can be performed or
included in the functions of the firewall, can be, for example, but
are not limited to, intrusion-prevention, intrusion detection,
next-generation firewall, personal firewall, etc. without deviating
from the novel art of this disclosure.
[0085] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout
the description and the claims, the words "comprise," "comprising,"
and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed
to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense
of "including, but not limited to." As used herein, the terms
"connected," "coupled," or any variant thereof, means any
connection or coupling, either direct or indirect, between two or
more elements; the coupling of connection between the elements can
be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. Additionally, the
words "herein," "above," "below," and words of similar import, when
used in this application, shall refer to this application as a
whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where
the context permits, words in the above Detailed Description using
the singular or plural number can also include the plural or
singular number respectively. The word "or," in reference to a list
of two or more items, covers all of the following interpretations
of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the
list, and any combination of the items in the list.
[0086] The above detailed description of embodiments of the
disclosure is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
teachings to the precise form disclosed above. While specific
embodiments of, and examples for, the disclosure are described
above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications
are possible within the scope of the disclosure, as those skilled
in the relevant art will recognize. For example, while processes or
blocks are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments can
perform routines having steps, or employ systems having blocks, in
a different order, and some processes or blocks can be deleted,
moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified to provide
alternative or sub-combinations. Each of these processes or blocks
can be implemented in a variety of different ways. Also, while
processes or blocks are at times shown as being performed in
series, these processes or blocks can instead be performed in
parallel, or can be performed at different times. Further, any
specific numbers noted herein are only examples: alternative
implementations can employ differing values or ranges.
[0087] The teachings of the disclosure provided herein can be
applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described
above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described
above can be combined to provide further embodiments.
[0088] Any patents and applications and other references noted
above, including any that can be listed in accompanying filing
papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the
disclosure can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems,
functions, and concepts of the various references described above
to provide yet further embodiments of the disclosure.
[0089] These and other changes can be made to the disclosure in
light of the above Detailed Description. While the above
description describes certain embodiments of the disclosure, and
describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the
above appears in text, the teachings can be practiced in many ways.
Details of the system can vary considerably in its implementation
details, while still being encompassed by the subject matter
disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when
describing certain features or aspects of the disclosure should not
be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to
be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects
of the disclosure with which that terminology is associated. In
general, the terms used in the following claims should not be
construed to limit the disclosure to the specific embodiments
disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed
Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the
actual scope of the disclosure encompasses not only the disclosed
embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or
implementing the disclosure under the claims.
[0090] While certain aspects of the disclosure are presented below
in certain claim forms, the inventors contemplate the various
aspects of the disclosure in any number of claim forms. For
example, while only one aspect of the disclosure is recited as a
means-plus-function claim under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.112, 116, other
aspects can likewise be embodied as a means-plus-function claim, or
in other forms, such as being embodied in a computer-readable
medium. (Any claim intended to be treated under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.112, 116 begins with the words "means for".) Accordingly, the
applicant reserves the right to add additional claims after filing
the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other
aspects of the disclosure.
* * * * *